Climate Change Waikato Colouring Book

If the River Could Talk is an illustrated children's book by Waikato artist Yaniv Janson, commissioned by Creative Waikato's Kaitiakitanga project. Organised around four themes, te taiao (the natural world), wai (water), whenua (land), and whānau (family), the book pairs Yaniv's original paintings, inspired by Waikato's landscapes and waterways, with colouring pages, symmetry drawings, and reflective prompts for children aged five to nine. Each spread invites a child to imagine themselves as part of nature, asking questions like "what would the river say?" The finished book becomes a collaboration between artist and child, encouraging curiosity, hope, and everyday guardianship of the Waikato region.

My creative practice is participatory, tactile and community led. I make work that people are invited to touch, contribute to and physically take part in, rather than simply observe. Colour and accessibility are central to everything I do; I want my art to open a conversation, not close one down with complexity. Most of my major projects sit at the intersection of art, wellbeing and social or environmental issues, using painting, community canvases and hands on workshops to help people process big topics like climate change in a way that feels approachable and hopeful rather than overwhelming. I also draw on my own experience living with epilepsy and autism, which shapes how I think about sensory engagement, inclusion and neurodiversity in the way I design workshops and community making processes.